First Minister Carwyn Jones has been accused of an “unforgivable betrayal” of the Welsh people.

The Welsh Conservatives have criticised the Labour politician for using a speech in Chicago today to highlight tensions over Brexit, and to warn of dangers to the future of the United Kingdom.

The First Minister is seeking to highlight Wales as an attractive destination for Foreign Direct Investment, but faces criticism for stoking fears over the constitutional future of the UK.

He will tell his audience that a “two-way dialogue between Brussels and London” will “fail” and the final deal must be backed by the legislatures in Cardiff, Edinburgh, and Belfast.

'Insufficient'

Mr Jones will also say: “[A] package of specific commitments for the post-Brexit world, while vital, is insufficient. I believe the process of withdrawal must be accompanied by a reformed governance of the United Kingdom for the long term.

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“There can be no return to the old constitutional status quo, where the United Kingdom was one of the most centralised states in the developed world. But we have to embrace the new reality with fresh constitutional thinking if our British Union is to survive the new tensions created by EU exit.

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“Unless we take this seriously nothing – up to and including the break-up of the UK into its component parts – would be inconceivable. Let me emphasise: that is not something I wish to happen.

“Far from it. But scenarios that seemed little more than political fantasies a few years ago could become plausible if we fail to make the radical changes necessary to put the UK’s constitution on a sustainable footing.”

'Talk down the economy'

Responding to the speech, leader of the Welsh Conservatives Andrew RT Davies said: “There is a time and a place to discuss constitutional issues, but Carwyn Jones is supposed to be in America to sell Wales to the world like never before.

“Instead, in a speech that came straight out of the Nicola Sturgeon playbook, the First Minister chose to talk down the economy and to stoke greater uncertainty over the future of the United Kingdom.

“It’s an unforgivable betrayal of the people of Wales and can only harm prospects for inward investment.”